Page 52 of Redeeming Meg

Serbia.

He reached for his waistband and winked at Meg.

You and me, he mouthed.

You and me, she mouthed back.

“Now,” Declan yelled, jerking out her gun.

Meg offered him a ghost of a smile.

She fell to her belly. Rolled.

Tessa screamed.

Declan pulled the trigger.

NINETEEN

Her side hurt like a bitch. Meg stared up at the towering roof filled with broken and jagged skylights above her. The echoes of gunfire still rang in her ears.

Rushing footsteps, Declan’s voice, Tessa crying…it all filtered through her ringing ears, seeming distant and fading.

Dec’s face appeared above her. He sunk to his knees and ran gentle hands over her, assessing her injuries. “You’re going to be fine,” he said, even though he pulled up short when he touched her left side.

She coughed up blood. “Hagar?”

Men and women in dark clothes and caring weapons rushed the scene. Director Flynn appeared beside Dec, his face grim as he stared down at her. “Declan followed orders for once and didn’t kill him. After that snafu with the Romanian police, I decided to step in and take over. Hagar has earned himself a one-way ticket to one of my favorite prisons.”

A black site where he would be tortured and interrogated. Good.

A medic with a severe expression and carrying a duffel with a first aid cross on the end eased down on the other side of Meg. She assessed her in one quick glance, unzipped the bag,and shoved something from it at Declan. “Press this against the wound.” She glanced up at the Director. “She needs a hospital before she bleeds out.”

Flynn moved away, barking orders. The medic set up an IV and poked Meg in the arm with the needle. “I’ll be all right,” Meg assured Declan, even though she felt herself floating away.

He patted her cheek. “You’re brilliant, you know that, right?”

She tried to smile, but her muscles didn’t want to respond. Her body trembled, and her teeth chattered. “I’m cold,” she whispered. “Really cold.”

Then Spence was there, grabbing hold of her hand and squeezing. “You’re going into shock. We’re going to take care of you.”

“Why are you…here?” she forced out.

Come to think of it, why was Flynn?

“Flynn and Del were in Spain, and after they found out I had the USB, they came here. Del has been working on decrypting the security on that drive. I’ve been tracking your phones.” He gave her hand another hard squeeze. “As soon as we found out Hagar had been released and you guys were at the train station, Flynn decided it was time to step in. He claims he came here to fire you, but I think he wants to insert himself in our hunt for Tommy.” He gave her a wink.

The medic handed the IV bag to Spence. “Hold this up and keep it above her head.” She called to somebody over her shoulder. “We need to move her.”

The room was growing dim. Meg blinked at the dozens of black spots blurring her vision. “Is Tessa…?”

Declan shushed her as the medic gave her a shot of something. “Enough talk for now. You need to conserve your strength.”

“I’m fine,” Tessa’s voice called from across the expanse.

“Sanitize the place of our presence,” Flynn ordered those with him. “Blindfold Hagar, and let’s get out of here.”

Someone handed Declan a blanket, and he wrapped it around her. “This is going to hurt,” he said. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

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